Economics · Ch 15 — Rural Development
Sustainable Development And Organic Farming
Sustainable Development And Organic Farming
Sustainable development requires farming methods that do not harm health or the environment, and organic farming is the leading eco-friendly answer.
In recent years, awareness of the harmful effect of chemical-based fertilisers and pesticides on our health has been on the rise. Conventional agriculture relies heavily on these chemicals, which enter the food supply, penetrate water sources, harm livestock, deplete the soil and devastate natural ecosystems. Efforts in evolving eco-friendly technologies are essential for sustainable development, and organic farming is one such technology.
In short, organic agriculture is a whole system of farming that restores, maintains and enhances the ecological balance. There is an increasing demand for organically grown food to enhance food safety throughout the world.
Box 5.4: Organic Food
Organic food is growing in popularity across the world. Many countries have around 10 per cent of their food system under organic farming, and there are many retail chains and supermarkets which are accorded a "green status" to sell organic food. Moreover, organic foods command a higher price, of around 10-100 per cent more than conventional ones.
Benefits of Organic Farming: Organic agriculture offers a means to substitute costlier agricultural inputs (such as HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides) with locally produced organic inputs that are cheaper, thereby generating good returns on investment. Organic agriculture also generates income through exports, since the demand for organically grown crops is on the rise. Studies across countries have shown that organically grown food has more nutritional value than chemically farmed food, providing healthier foods.
Since organic farming requires more labour input than conventional farming, labour-abundant India finds organic farming an attractive proposition. Finally, the produce is pesticide-free and produced in an environmentally sustainable way.
Box 5.5: Organically Produced Cotton in Maharashtra
In 1995, when Kisan Mehta of Prakruti (an NGO) first suggested that cotton, the biggest user of chemical pesticides, could be grown organically, the then Director of the Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, famously remarked, "Do you want India to go naked?" At present, as many as 130 farmers have committed 1,200 hectares of land to grow cotton organically on the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement's standards. The produce was later tested by the German Accredited Agency, AGRECO, and found to be of high quality. Kisan Mehta feels that about 78 per cent of Indian farmers are marginal farmers, owning less than 0.8 hectare each but accounting for 20 per cent of India's cultivable land — for such farmers, organic agriculture is more profitable in terms of money and soil conservation in the long run.
Popularising organic farming requires awareness and willingness on the part of farmers to adapt to new technology. Inadequate infrastructure and the problem of marketing the produce are major concerns, which need to be addressed alongside an appropriate agriculture policy to promote organic farming. It has also been observed that yields from organic farming are lower than modern agricultural farming in the initial years, so small and marginal farmers may find it difficult to adapt to large-scale production; organic produce may also have more blemishes and a shorter shelf life than sprayed produce, and the choice of off-season crops is quite limited. …